Artists and vendors love coming to the annual Brockport Arts Festival, and it's not only because big crowds mean brisk business. Brockport is popular along the arts festival trail because its host organization, BISCO, goes out of its way to make everyone who sets up their wares feel especially welcome.

BISCO members, along with local government officials, make the rounds each morning of the festival with a hospitality cart. Vendors are treated to coffee, bagels and doughnuts, and a big Brockport welcome.

"They tell us that extra personal touch shows what a friendly community Brockport is," said BISCO President George Dahl.

Festival security is also well-handled by the village police department, Dahl said. "We haven't had any major problems like other festivals have had," he said, crediting the police officers who patrol the festival on foot and bike - before, during and after festival hours.

"When we started this, part of our goal was to show what a great community Brockport is," Dahl said. "One way to do that is to make everyone who comes here feel that we're glad they came."